It’s a compromise; the discussions aren’t lost, Reddit doesn’t get to have the data anymore, but like you said, there’s no engagement. The engagement needs to occur over here with new topics, possibly linking back to the copied old ones.

This. Trying to find anything in a brick and mortar store in the last decade has been such a godawful experience that I don’t feel the least bit sorry for them. Groceries are largely delivered (not using Instacart, but the store’s own delivery or pickup service), tech stuff is all aliexpress or amazon, clothing I still largely go in to buy, but don’t buy very often. Appliances? Research the shit out of it online and usually order online from a local retailer with a decent website. Heck, even hardware is online through Home Depot and auto stuff is either rockauto or similar.